Rock of Ages sugarcoats debauchery of 1980s heavy metal

I forked out 25 bucks for a pair of tickets to watch the musical Rock of Ages on its opening weekend at a theatre in Shawnessy. The same weekend, at a pub next door, something happened that attracted much more attention from Calgary: an off-duty bouncer promised dozens of female patrons instant access to Hudsons Canadian Tap House if they flashed their breasts. The two events are related. I’ll explain how in a minute. First, let’s consider the merits of the movie.

AN ERA, A BROADWAY MUSICAL, THEN A MOVIE

After enjoying the Broadway musical a couple of years ago, I was determined to take in the movie version at my first opportunity. Rock of Ages, a celebration and parody of glam metal culture on West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip in the 1980s, opened last weekend to mediocre ticket salesand skeptical but amused reviews.

The story, such as it is, revolves around the sleazy Bourbon Room nightclub. Two aspiring singers, nurturing a romance, hope the club will keep them employed until they make it big. Moralizers backed by City Hall want to put the place out of business. An aging, confused heavy metal star agrees to stage a benefit concert for the Bourbon but only makes things worse. The stereotypical Bad Guys of the plot are politically connected church ladies, weaselly politicians, and corporate image-makers who exploit the soul of rock ‘n’ roll.

Some elements of the movie are somewhat inspired by the campaign started in 1985 by wives of American senators, chiefly Tipper Gore and Susan Baker, who formed the Parents’ Music Resource Centre to lobby for warning labels on sexually explicit and violent music. I say “somewhat inspired,” because the movie re-imagines the political and musical environment of the 1980s. Analyzing this aspect of the movie, Salon’s Andrew O’Hehir sees how the movie deliberately reduces cultural conflicts to “cliche and fantasy in order to fit it into a let’s-put-on-a-show musical.” He argues that the phoney portrayal of California’s music scene “is an effulgent celebration of fakeness,” meant to reflect life about as accurately as a show such as Miami Vice reflects real-life Miami.

I’m not as willing to let Rock of Ages off the hook. I’m struck by how the movie seems to want to rewrite an era in rock ‘n’ roll history noted for its decadence. So I poked around a bit for some useful context.

According toSam Dunn, the Canadian anthropologist and self-described headbanger who directed Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, the Los Angeles glam metal scene traces its roots to mid-1960s groups such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple. Compared to other subgenres of rock music, heavy metal is darker and lower while the singing is usually higher and operatic. The lyrics focus on hedonism, religion, death and sexuality — themes designed to get under the skin of teenagers’ parents. Metal fans are known by their fashion uniform: long hair, band T-shirts, leather clothing, air guitar riffs and the “devil horns” hand symbol. Extreme rebellion is the order of the day. Says author and pop culture commentator Chuck Closterman, in the documentary: “At the time I had never drank, I’d never done drugs, I’d never had sex, I had never broken a law. As I was listening to Motley Crue, it seemed like those were basically the only things they did, according to their lyrics, that was the totality of their existence.”

Longtime musician Ronnie James Dio, who is credited with popularizing the devil horns, says the supportive underground fan culture is what best defines heavy metal. “I think it’s probably more than anything the fact that it becomes a great big family of people who all share on thing, and that is: metal!” he says in Dunn’s documentary. “It’s really them against the world, that’s really its importance and why it has lasted so long.”

CLOSER LOOK AT GLAM METAL CULTURE

Dunn recalls how heavy metal culture re-invents itself as each new wave of musicians seeks distinction by being more shocking and badass. By the time the late-1970s had rolled around in Los Angeles — the era depicted in Rock of Ages — things had gotten pretty tawdry. Director Penelope Spheeris goes behind the L.A. scenes in her gritty documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization, Part II: The Metal Years. She immersed herself in the genre, filming performances on the strip and interviewing big stars, wannabes, groupies, managers, fans and critics. Spheeris portrays rampant drug, alcohol, and sex abuse; lecherous older men; willing young women; and musicians united by a stage-fuelled sense of their own invincibility. Having a regular job seems like a jail sentence. The attitude is what matters; the qualities of the music itself almost seem incidental.

The sexualization of the atmosphere seemed to surprise even the rock stars. Ozzy Osbourne recalls: “Jesus Christ, when we toured with Kiss, they were like monsters, man. Lineups of chicks outside their rooms every night.” One of the institutions of Hollywood nightlife was the Cathouse club, co-owned by Riki Rachtman. He smirks as he explains his strategy to attract a certain clientele: “They don’t wear much clothes at the Cathouse. We have this policy of never really keeping the air conditioning on, so it gets really hot. They show a lot of flesh here. Somebody came here once from Texas, and they go, ‘I don’t believe it. In Texas, we wear our lingerie in the bedroom. In the Cathouse, they wear them out in the club.’ If you want to come here dressed really nice, that’s okay. But you’ll get in the club faster if you dress sleazy.

It sounds like Rachtman and the (now unemployed) bouncer at Hudsons in Shawnessy might have something in common. Pushing against boundaries and breaking rules are rites of passage for young adults.

Of course, debauchery takes a personal toll. In the documentary, Osbourne describes the reality of life as a rock superstar in those days. I get the feeling Osbourne has given this speech before. “Kids out there think you make a record, you make millions of dollars, and you just live happily ever after. It isn’t that way at all. It’s like very hard work. You get your rewards. You do get a lot of things like gold discs, platinum discs, cars, houses. But then you’ve got things like divorces, management rip-offs, fatigue, drugs, alcohol, hangovers. You’re up all night burning bridges, and then you’ve got to get up the next day and go, ‘Hi guys! It’s good to be back on stage again.’ And you feel like crap inside.”

Many fans mimicked the lifestyle of their heroes. Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead says, “I think a lot of people look to the people in show business or anybody who’s famous to model their lifestyle. So if you’re modeling your lifestyle and somebody it turns out dies on smack, that’s not very clever, see.”

FINDING SOMETHING WORTH REMEMBERING

Little of the deeply embedded decadence of 1980s Sunset Strip comes through in the movie version of Rock of Ages. I know, it’s just a silly musical. But the movie’s underlying, simplistic message is that greedy corporations and interfering puritans thwarted the aspirations of righteous musicians. The historic truth is that many glam metal musicians and fans were their own worst enemy. Decay came from within, in moral terms.

Most folks I know dismiss the value of 1980s rock ‘n’ roll, with its dominant cultural images of big hair, skin-tight leathers, groupie outrages, and breathtaking rock star arrogance. But the best music from the era is proving to be durable.

If the movie helps rescue the music from the excesses of that era, in our collective memory, well maybe that’s a good thing. Can I recommend the movie? Yes, if you’re a fan of 1980s rock ‘n’ roll. Otherwise, wait for the video.

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